Brennan's regular-season win streak reaches 24

Published 12:08 am, Saturday, August 30, 2014

Brennan got off to a sluggish start, but a brutish defense sparked the Bears to their 24th straight regular season victory.

Senior quarterback Da'Shawn Key had 274 total yards and Brennan rolled to a 30-7 victory over Leander Rouse at Gustafson Stadium on Friday night. The victory matched the Bears' winning score against the Raiders in last season's Region IV-4A Division I final.

Rouse was limited to 153 total yards, including just 47 yards rushing on 27 carries. Brennan's aggressive defense allowed just three first downs and 98 yards in the first half.

“It got me really hyped,” Key said. “Seeing them fly around and play for each other and make tackles and just play hard.”

Makai Green dashed 60 yards into the end zone on the Bears' opening play, but the touchdown was negated by a holding penalty. That was costly, as Brennan did not pick up their initial first down until 3:53 of the opening quarter and finished the period with 34 total yards and 25 penalty yards.

The struggles stopped in the second quarter.

Dayne Thomas had the first of two TD receptions in the second quarter, scoring initially on a 56-yard pass from Key just 10 seconds into the period.

Brennan scored 27 points in the second quarter and finished with 347 total yards.

Key passed for 138 yards, completing 7 of 12 passes for two touchdowns. He also rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

“(Key) put on about 10-15 pounds, which he needed to do,” Brennan coach Steve Basore said. “He's really a guy that's been there and done that. As some of these guys come along, he's a solid rock we can count on.”

The Bears had 209 yards rushing on 49 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt compared to 1.5 for the Raiders.